Jo's Food Specialties

Chocolate Truffles

2011-01-02T15:54:00.000-08:00

I've made these truffles a few times and they always turn out great.

1/2 pound good bittersweet chocolate (I use Ghiradelli)
1/2 pound good semisweet chocolate (I use Ghiradelli)
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons orange flavored liqueur, optional (recommended: Grand Marnier)
1 tablespoon prepared coffee (I don't drink coffee so I substitute Kahlua)
1/2 teaspoon good vanilla extract

Chop the chocolates finely with a sharp knife. Place them in a heat-proof mixing bowl.
Heat the cream in a small saucepan until it just boils. Turn off the heat and allow the cream to sit for 20 seconds to slightly cool.
Pour the cream through a fine-meshed sieve into the bowl with the chocolate.
With a wire whisk, slowly stir the cream and chocolates together until the chocolate is completely melted.
Whisk in the orange flavored liqueur, if using, coffee, and vanilla.
Set aside at room temperature for at least 1 hour. (Sometimes I put this in the refrigerator for a little while because it takes mine longer than 1 hour to set. The mixture needs to be soft enough for you to roll into balls so you have to be careful not to leave it in the refrigerator too long .If you do then you have to let it set at room temperature for awhile to become soft enough. Another recipe I have says to put the mixture in an 8 x 8 in glass baking dish so that it sets more evenly.)
With 2 teaspoons (or a small scoop or melon baller) spoon round balls of the chocolate mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll each ball of chocolate in your hands (I use latex free gloves) to roughly make it round.
Here's where you can be creative. Have some small bowls ready with confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder, chopped nuts, finely chopped chocolate, or whatever you can think of to dip the truffles in. You can also melt some chocolate to dip them in but you need to keep the chocolate at 90 - 92 degrees.
These will keep refrigerated for weeks, but they taste better if you serve them at room temperature.

This is supposed to make 60 truffles but of course it depends on what size you make them. I had about 40 of them with the last batch I made.

Yes, these are pretty easy to make but can be time consuming. I have made the mixture one day and let it set at room temperature until the next day when I had time to roll them. It also can be messy but as Alton Brown says "You will be rewarded".
Enjoy!!!!

2010-10-30T11:09:00.000-07:00

Chocolate Mice!

I made these Chocolate Mice for Halloween this year. Here are pictures of the presentation at the office. They were a big hit. I also sent some to the kids and grandkids. Hope they liked them.

Recipe:
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
1/3 cup sour cream (room temperature)
1 cup chocolate wafers, finely crushed
1/3 cup additional crushed chocolate wafers or chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar (for white mice)
24 silver dragees (small silver, edible balls for eyes)
24 sliced almonds (for ears)
12 licorice, strings (for tails)

1. Melt the chocolate in a medium size bowl and stir in sour cream. Mix until smooth.
2. Stir in 1 cup of crushed chocolate wafers until combined.
3. Cover and refrigerate until firm. (at least 1/2 hour)
4. Using a small scoop or tablespoon - scoop dough and roll into balls. Mold to a slight point at one end (the nose).
5. Roll dough in confectioners sugar (for white mice), in chocolate wafer crumbs or chocolate graham cracker crumbs for brown mice.
6. On each mouse, place dragees in appropriate spot for eyes,add almond slices for ears, add a licorice string for the tail.
7. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours until firm.

Options:
Add a little Kahlua to the sour cream.
Substitute chocolate graham cracker crumbs for the chocolate wafer crumbs.
Fill each with raspberry or strawberry jam for a gooey center.

Notes:
For the eyes - I made a small hole with a toothpick where I wanted the eyes to be then I piped in red icing in the holes.
For the tails - I could not find licorice strings so I bought regular black licorice and cut them into strips with kitchen scissors.
For the sand/dirt - use graham cracker cumbs
For the mouse droppings - sprinkle chocolate jimmys on the sand.

Lemon Mousse

2010-10-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

This Lemon Mousse was so good!!!!

The recipe I used is a Barefoot Contessa recipe from the Food Network. You can find the recipe here:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/fresh-lemon-mousse-recipe/index.html

I managed to have some fresh meyer lemons (I picked them myself from a friends tree) to use for this. If you can ever find meyer lemons I recommend using them. I have a difficult time finding meyer lemons in stores around here.
Enjoy!!!!

2010-02-14T21:36:00.000-08:00

Made some Brownie Truffles last week for Valentines Day. They were so good.
All you have to do is make some brownies, cut them into 1 inch pieces, put them in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Then roll each piece into a ball and put back into the refrigerator to get cold again.
Meanwhile melt whatever kind of chocolate (I used dark chocolate) in a double boiler.
When the brownie pieces are cold again roll them in the melted chocolate and place on a piece of parchment paper or wax paper.
You can keep these in the refrigerator for a while but they taste so much better if they are at room temperature.

My favorite Brownie recipe is Outrageous Brownies from Ina Garten (Barefoot Contessa) http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/outrageous-brownies-recipe3/index.html

Crab Parmesan Omelet, Tomato Salsa, Fruit plate

2010-02-14T20:49:00.000-08:00

Saturday Morning Brunch

Crab Parmesan Omelet

Tomato Salsa

Fruit Plate

Whole Wheat Toast

Saute about 1 tbs Shallots in small saucepan with 1 tbsp butter, add about 4 oz. crab and turn down heat, add pepper to taste.

In a 10" omelet pan melt 1 tbsp butter, mix 3 eggs in bowl or measuring cup.

Add eggs to omelet pan, cook for a couple of minutes until almost cooked, then flip the omelet shell to finish cooking on the other side, about 1 minute.

Transfer omelet shell to plate, add half of the crab mixture to shell, add about 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese. Fold over shell.

Make 2 omelets, keep warm in oven.

In small saucepan over med heat, place 1 chopped tomato (without the seeds), small amoumt of chopped fresh basil leaves to taste, pinch of salt and cook for about 2 minutes. Salsa can be made ahead of time.

Add tomato salsa to plate.

Add about 1 to 2 tbs shredded parmesan to top of omelet and salsa.
Serve and enjoy
1

2010-01-13T18:12:00.000-08:00

My third Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake. The best yest! My co-workers pitched in for the supplies and I made it for our boss for Christmas.

2010-01-13T17:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas (2009) Breakfast - Bananna Nutella Crepes with Rasberries.
Christmas (2009) Dinner - Roast Beef Tenderloin with Caramelized Onion and Mushroom Stuffing, roasted Mixed Vegetables with Baked small Red Potatoes.
Dessert Homemade Apple Crumble Pie a la mode and Pumpkin Mousse (not Pictured)
I was very pleased with how well everything tasted and I was not the only one pleased. :)

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake

2009-12-06T12:50:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe for Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake on the Cook's Illustrated web site.
What a terrific cake. It takes a while to make but it is definitely worth it. I've made it twice. The first time I made it was for my sweetheart's birthday. The second time I made it for Thanksgiving. This recipe is a keeper.